Investigating the effects of virtual reality enriched learning environment on pre-service science teachers

As the developing technological opportunities are becoming widespread, the requirements of the era changes and the definition of "qualified individual" evolves accordingly. Therefore the development of prospective science teachers that expected to nurture the individuals who can meet those emerging needs of the society, is gaining importance. Use of innovative technologies has a great potential in the training of science teachers for improving self-efficacy, techno-pedagogical readiness, and scientific process skill domains. For these reasons, this research investigates the quantitative and qualitative outputs of teacher education enriched with the immersive virtual reality. The research, which is structured with the mixed method, was carried out with 54 3rd grade science teacher trainees attending the Science Teaching and Laboratory Practices -I course in the 2017-2018 academic year, 24 of them being experiment group, and 30 of them in the control group. The learning cycle (3E) model based activities created by the researcher within the context of the 2017 Science Course Curriculum, has been implemented to both groups during the six week course period. Inter-group and intra-group comparisons made with the data gathered from pre and post-test scores relating prospective science teachers' science process skills, self-efficacy towards science teaching and tendency to technology use in courses along with their-subdimensions. For the qualitative dimension, six participants from the experiment group selected from different Ort. achievement levels by post-test scores, regarding the maximum variety sampling method and their responses evaluated by descriptive analysis. Additionally, one-to-one interviews concluded using a semi-structured interview form with six experiment group participants selected from six sub-groups, and their statements evaluated by content analysis. Quantitive findings suggest a difference between groups in self-efficacy towards "Confidence of Implementing Intraclass activities (Performance)" sub-dimension scores favouring control group. For the experimental group, overall Scientific Process Skills Test and Designing experiments sub-dimension scores increased along with "Confidence in Field Knowledge", and "Use of Laboratory" Sub-dimensions of "Self-efficacy towards science teaching" scale, in favour of post-tests. The qualitative findings imply that prospective science teachers associate the use of virtual reality in science teaching mostly with advantages.